Pattaya may not boast the full moon parties of Koh Phangan or the backpacker’s ghetto that is Khaosan Road. Your backpacker’s bible doesn’t think Pattaya is hip enough to be recommended because it’s not on the usual banana pancake trail.
But whether you’re a backpacker, a flash-packer, taking a gap year, or a snap year, there’s a shed full of hip and funky budget accommodation, authentic Thai street food, and cheap local transport in Pattaya. And it’s only a short bus ride from the Thailand backpacker’s paradise of Bangkok
Cheap Backpacker Accommodation in Pattaya.
With oodles of cheap guest houses and hostels to choose from, the very heart of Pattaya is a backpacker’s haven. If you like to look online, you can easily find cheap backpacker accommodation and hostels with male-only, mixed, and female-only dormitories in Pattaya for as little as 300 to 400 baht on HostelWorld.com.
You can also find popular backpacker hostels and suitably cheap hotels and guest houses in Pattaya on Agoda.
Cheap guest houses and rooms for rent above bars and restaurants are commonplace in downtown Pattaya, but many can’t be found on hotel booking sites. There are several areas around Pattaya where you can walk literally just meters from guest house to bar, to restaurant in search of cheap accommodation.
Some of the most popular areas, and all within walking distance of each other are Soi Post Office (13/2) Soi Yamato, and Soi Buakhao and its many side streets. The real beauty of these locations is they are central, with an abundance of:
- Thai street food stalls and cafes
- Cheap Thai and foreign restaurants
- Cheap bars and nightlife venues
- Markets and convenience stores
They are right on the baht bus route too, and motorcycle taxi ranks can be found on just about every street corner.
Room finding tips: cheap accommodation tends to be sparsely decorated, and rooms often have just the minimum requirements of a bed, wardrobe, small T.V., shower room, and a fan. If your room is on the first level above a bar expect it to be noisy late into the night. You would be surprised how comfortable you are with only a fan unless your room is on the top floor of a poorly insulated building. If you are staying for a few days you might be able to bargain the price down.
Eating Cheap While Backpacking in Pattaya.
As a backpacker, you don’t want to blow your budget on food, and as a backpacker, you want to sample the local culinary delights. In Pattaya, like elsewhere in Thailand, you will find those culinary delights on the street, quite often right on your doorstep.
The best news is, aside from cooking your own or living on cheap instant noodles, street food is the cheapest food in Pattaya. You get to taste the very essence of Thailand without leaving a hole in your wallet. Another huge plus for Thai street food is it’s even faster than instant noodles.
Where is the best street food in Pattaya?
It’s on the street !, static and mobile food stalls can be found all around Pattaya, often in huddles on a street corner, on the pavement outside shops and 7-Eleven stores, day markets, and night markets, even outside restaurants.
Mobile food vendors either push a cart or drive a motorcycle which often has the appearance of a mobile market stall (see photo below). If I said “Street food is everywhere in Pattaya” you might think I’m exaggerating, but I would estimate you are never more than two or three minutes away from a street food seller in Pattaya.
What is street food in Pattaya?
Typical Thai street food dishes are ones that can be cooked quickly. Fried rice “khao pad’ with chicken, pork, or beef. Stir-fried noodles, noodle soup, barbecued meats and sausages, rice soup, boiled eggs, even deep-fried insects, are just a small selection of the most common and weird and wonderful street food dishes in Pattaya.
Street food is cheap, a fried rice dish costs around 60 baht, and barbecued sausage or pork costs around 20 baht per piece. If you were to live solely on street food in Pattaya you could expect to spend as little as 200 baht per day.
Street food tips:
- If you suspect a dish might be too spicy for you just say “mai pet”.
- A busy street food vendor is a reputable street food vendor.
- Be warned, some may only provide chopsticks to eat with.
Cheap cafes and restaurants.
You don’t have to eat street food to live cheaply in Pattaya. There are food courts at most shopping malls and supermarkets, serving up a wide range of Thai dishes for as little as 50–60 baht, and restaurants like Kiss Food have comparatively cheap Thai and Western menus. English breakfast and many other Western dishes can be had at cafes and bars for as little as 99 baht.
Getting Around Cheap for Backpackers in Pattaya
Blue baht buses, also known as ‘songthaews’ (see photo above) are a hop-on hop-off service. They have set routes around Pattaya, so if one is going in your direction just hop on. If it leaves the direction you are heading in, press the bell to stop him, go to the window and pay 10 baht (at the time of writing) then hop onto another going in your direction.
If you charter a baht to go somewhere off its route you must negotiate a price before boarding. Similarly, there are white, red, and light blue baht buses operating on Sukhumvit highway, these may take you as far as Laem Chabang to the north, or Sattahip to the south but you might have to change 2 or 3 times.
Motorcycle taxis are handy for short journeys around town, expect to pay a minimum of 50–60 baht for an average journey through central Pattaya, but be sure to ask the price first.
Hiring a motorcycle is one of the most convenient ways to get around Pattaya, but beware the pitfalls of hiring a motorcycle.
For more detailed information on baht bus routes and how to use baht buses, motorcycle taxis, and ride booking apps to travel around Pattaya cheaply, use this Getting Around Pattaya guide.
Getting to and From Pattaya on a Backpacker Budget
Public transport in the form of buses, or minivan services is the cheapest way to go to and from Pattaya, and from bus stations in Pattaya you can travel to Bangkok and many other destinations in Thailand.
If you book in advance 1 to 3 days (depending on the service provider) you can purchase cheap bus, minivan, train, and even air tickets to and from Pattaya online through 12GoAsia.
Once in a Lifetime Experiences in Pattaya.
Backpacking is a means of traveling cheaply so you can extend your journey and spend money on life’s experiences, some of which are once-in-a-lifetime experiences like what can be had at Elephant Jungle Sanctuary in Pattaya.
Pattaya also claims to have the highest bungee jump in Thailand. There are 3 go-kart tracks, 3 water parks, cable wakeboarding, and many more cheap thrills to enjoy in Pattaya.
Free thing to see and do in Pattaya.
These are a few suggested places to visit where you won’t be charged an entry fee.
- Pattaya Viewing Point for the classic view of Pattaya.
- Wat Chaimongkol, the most convenient temple to visit in Pattaya.
- Bali Hai Viewing Point and the Pattaya Sign
- Wat Yansangwararam (about one hour from Pattaya)
- Big Buddha on the Hill
Cheap Nightlife in Pattaya
If your Pattaya backpacking itinerary includes experiencing Pattaya’s famous (even infamous) nightlife on the cheap you would be best advised to limit your visits to Walking Street or GoGo bars to a “look and see” been there, done that, got the T-shirt kind of thing.
You will find the cost of beer and other alcoholic drinks in Pattaya is a little cheaper around the areas of Soi 7, Soi Buakhao, and the numerous side streets off Soi Buakhao like Soi Chaiyapoon, Soi New Plaza, and Myth Night bar complex. There’s a bar with a happy hour at most times of the day in these areas.
Pattaya Girls: Bar girls, especially girls in the beer bar complexes and Go-go’s can be a little pushy when it comes to asking you to buy them a drink. Street-side bars and bars with a separate seating area away from the counter are a safer bet if you don’t want to get chatty with thirsty bar girls.
In the event that you succumb to temptation, here’s a little guide to how much bar girls in Pattaya cost.
I Recommend Chiang Mai
Chiang Mai is a fantastic place just to hang out, it’s a very relaxed city, in stark contrast to Bangkok. There is so much to see and do in Chiang Mai that you could not do anywhere else. I’ve managed to take in quite a lot on my visits, but the highlight so far has definitely been the hill tribe tour.
The cheapest way to get to Chiang Mai and also enjoy a unique experience while backpacking in Thailand is to take the overnight sleeper train to Chiang Mai from Bangkok.